까마중(Solanum nigrum L.)은 식용 및 약용으로 널리 사 용되는 식물이지만, 그 열매에는 잠재적인 건강 위험을 초 래할 수 있는 스테로이드성 글리코알칼로이드가 함유된 것 으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 건조된 시판 까마중 제품 중 α-solanine, solamargine, solasonine을 동시에 정량하기 위 한 LC–MS/MS 분석법을 개발하고 검증하였다. 시료 전처 리는 50% 메탄올 수용액을 이용한 초음파 추출과 분산형 고체상 추출법(d-SPE)을 적용하였다. 이동상에는 5 mM 탄 산수소암모늄을 첨가하고, divert 밸브를 이용하여 고농도의 solamargine과 solasonine을 제외함으로써 미량 α-solanine의 검출 감도를 향상시켰다. 개발된 분석법은 고체 매트릭스에 서 우수한 직선성, 정확성, 정밀도 및 회수율을 나타내었 다. 엽록체 유전자 5개 부위(accD, rpoC1, ndhA, rpl16, rpl32) 를 이용한 분자생물학적 특성 분석 결과, 국내에서 까마중 으로 유통되는 제품은 S. nigrum을 포함한 근연종과 높은 서열 유사성을 보였으며, 시판 제품은 단일 종으로 구성된 경우도 있었으나 여러 종이 혼재된 것으로 추정되는 시료 도 확인되었다. 확립된 LC–MS/MS 분석법을 통해 분석된 26개 시료 모두에서 고농도의 solamargine과 solasonine이 검 출된 반면, α-solanine은 22개 시료에서 검출되지 않았고 나 머지 4개 시료에서도 정량한계 이하 수준으로만 검출되었 다. 글리코알칼로이드 함량은 잎과 줄기보다 열매에서 유의 하게 높았으며, 26개 시료 중 23개에서 열매가 포함되어 있 었다. 이러한 결과는 본 연구에서 개발된 LC–MS/MS 분석 법이 시판 까마중 제품의 안전성 평가에 유용함을 시사하 며, 글리코알칼로이드 노출 가능성에 대비하여 열매가 포함 된 제품에 대한 지속적인 모니터링의 필요성을 강조하였다.

Oral cancer has a high mortality rate, making early diagnosis crucial for effective treatment and prognosis. Unlike other cancers, oral cancer develops in the oral cavity, enabling direct contact between saliva and cancer cells. Therefore, saliva is a more useful diagnostic tool than serum or tissue. When DNA, RNA, or proteins produced by cancer cells enter the saliva, they can be easily detected as tumor markers. Therefore, salivary biomarkers can serve as a noninvasive alternative to serum- or tissue-based biomarkers. Early diagnosis is essential for increasing the treatment success rate, improving prognosis, and enhancing post-treatment recovery, ultimately improving the quality of life. Proteins are essential molecules involved in key processes, such as the development, growth, death, and metastasis of oral cancer. Recent advancements in molecular biology and salivary proteomics have enabled the detection and analysis of numerous proteins in saliva. Many of these protein molecules are currently the focus of extensive research. This article aims to review the potential of saliva as a diagnostic tool, techniques for detecting protein biomarkers, and salivary protein biomarkers for oral cancer diagnosis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is characterized by a wide spectrum of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe, including fatal outcomes. This study aims to review gustatory and salivary secretion dysfunctions and determine their potential pathogenic mechanisms. Gustatory impairment and salivary dysfunction are prevalent among patients with acute COVID-19 and those recovering from the disease. The mouth serves as a critical entry route for SARS-CoV-2. The cells within the oral epithelium, taste buds, and minor and major salivary glands express key entry factors for SARS-CoV-2, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, transmembrane serine protease 2, and furin. The co-occurrence of gustatory and salivary secretion dysfunctions possibly has pathogenetic association with the following factors: the expression of SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry receptors in the taste buds and salivary glands and SARS-CoV-2–induced zinc deficiency, which is crucial for normal taste perception and saliva secretion. Furthermore, the cytokine storm triggered by COVID-19 contributes to secondary damage affecting gustatory and salivary functions.

Climate change has led to increased insect pests and pest distribution changes. Traditionally, chemical control using synthetic pesticides has been the main method for pest management, but the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests has become a problem. There is a need to develop new pest control agents to overcome these issues. Entomopathogenic fungi used in pest management have minimal environmental side effects and possess a mechanism of action distinct from that of synthetic pesticides. However, there is a need for the development of technologies to maximize the insecticidal effects of fungi against pests, and expressing and releasing dsRNA within the fungi can preemptively knock out the activation of the insect’s defense system, thereby enhancing the insecticidal effect. Controlling insect defense genes and using entomopathogenic fungi as bio-carriers forms a new pest management strategy. This approach, described as a “microbial insecticide agents development strategy of cassette concept, ” can versatilely modify genes and microbes. It is expected to overcome the limitations of synthetic pesticides.

In this study, we examined the antagonistic effects of sprout-borne lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. This antagonism is promoted as a means of controlling contamination during sprout production and provides additional LAB for consumers. We isolated a total of 24 LAB isolates in nine species and five genera from seven popular vegetable sprouts: alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Trifolium pratense), broccoli (Brassica oleracea ssp. italica), vitamin (B. rapa ssp. narinosa), red radish (Raphanus sativus), red kohlrabi (B. oleracea var. gongylodes), and Kimchi cabbage (B. campestris var. pekinensis). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the LAB species were identified as Enterococcus casseliflavus, E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, Lactococcus taiwanensis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria, and W. confusa. A total of 16 LAB isolates in seven species including E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, L. taiwanensis, L. mesenteroides, P. pentosaceus, and W. cibaria showed antagonistic activity toward S. enterica. The growth inhibition of sprout LAB on S. enterica was confirmed by co-culture. Unexpectedly, sprout LAB failed to suppress the growth of S. enterica in alfalfa sprouts, whereas all LAB strains stimulate S. enterica growth even if it is not significant in some strains. The findings of this study indicate that S. enterica-antagonistic LAB are detrimental to food hygiene and will contribute to further LAB research and improved vegetable sprout production.

The occurrence level of Metcalfa pruinosa, Halyomorpha halys, and Spodoptera litura was investigated in persimmon tree and bean cultivation fields in 14 cities and counties of the Jeonbuk region in June and July. Metcalfa pruinose was visually inspected, while Halyomorpha halys and Spodoptera litura were investigated by installing pheromone traps and counting the number of captured individuals once, seven days after trap placement. Metcalfa pruinose nymphs occurred in eight cities and counties, which showed an increase compared to the previous year, and Halyomorpha halys nymphs had higher occurrences in the plains, with an average count of 5.5. The average count of Spodoptera litura was 26.7, which was lower than the previous year.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere is now annually arrives in Korea. In this study, we developed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, one of the main merits of which is a rapid identification of target species. Five among 11 FAW-specific loci tested successfully provided a consistent reaction when ten FAWs, which were collected from eight localities in four countries were tested, whereas the 13 non-target species were not amplified. To increase in-field applicability of the method all life stages, reaction time, and different periods after death was tested using the quick extracted DNA. Our FAW diagnostic protocol can be completed within 30 min, from the process of extracting genomic DNA from an egg or a 1st instar larva to species determination.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily well-conserved cellular homeostasis program that responds to various cellular stresses and degrades unnecessary or harmful intracellular materials in lysosomes. Accumulating evidence has shown that autophagy dysfunction often results in various human pathophysiological conditions, including metabolic disorders, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. The discovery of an autophagy machinery protein network has revealed underlying molecular mechanisms of autophagy, and advances in the understanding of its regulatory mechanism have provided novel therapeutic targets for treating human diseases. Recently, reports have emerged on the involvement of autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Although the role of autophagy in cancer therapy is controversial, the beneficial use of the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC has drawn significant attention. In this review, the types of autophagy, mechanism of autophagosome biogenesis, and modulating molecules and therapeutic candidates affecting the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC are briefly described.